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| tracklisting |
| 1. Humble Beginnings |
| 2. Freedom |
| 3. Grey |
| 4. Everything's Everything |
| 5. Flow feat. Tiaz The Onley Soun |
| 6. Afrodesiac feat. Tiaz The Onley Soun |
| 7. Hit & Run |
| 8. My Word (Freestyle) |
| 9. Nicotine |
| 10. Timeless |
| 11. War Paint |
| 12. Way Down |
| 13. All That I Am |
| 14. Mother Africa |
| 15. Don't Cry While I'm Gone |
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| Growth is inevitable isn't it? We grow throughout infinite aspects of our lives. But in music, growth is like a marriage, and that marriage being the relationship shared between an artist and their fans. Just as marriage can cast a deep, dark, and murky cloud or dwindle in the highs
of utopia, the growth of an artist's creative direction and music can also incite such polar opposite reactions. Take a look at Tribe during the Ummah years, OutKast with each consecutive album, or any number of infinite artists out there. |
| This all brings us to Preach. A few years back, I knew this young kid in Columbia, SC who was doing music with his crew of cats called 7 Moonz. Even then, they had a decent sound, full of hunger and spirit. If my memory serves me correctly, they did get around to releasing a little
project (can't recall if it was an EP or full album), but for whatever reason, it never took off, and 7 Moonz dissipated into the horizon. Fast forward 5 years and I run across Preach's solo album entitled "Sepia Tones." A little older this go-round (I want to say he's 20 or 21) or so, this
album definitely emits a light of completeness and thoroughness only dreamt about by many artists out there. This is, without a doubt, due to the incredibly soulful, enriched, and jazz-tinged music that Preach is blessed to spit rhymes on, provided by a duo out of Charlotte called Dem Jauz Khats. Their
music is, for lack of a better term, beautifully superb. The warm chords, the lush samples, and soul caressing basslines are simply remarkable. From the walking bass on "Freedom" to the dusty piano's on "Flow," these cats
are doing their part to prove that they belong in this game. |
| But back to Preach. One thing I can say about Preach, is the kid has heart for days. His lyrics are well thought out, well written, and nicely composed. More so than trying to invent a new sub-genre of lyricism, Preach seems to do what most emcees should do best: be himself. His flow
is the only link on his chain that does not quite match the level of refinement that the rest of his skills do. But that is but a small chink in his verbal armor. |
| Bottom line is, this album is complete from beginning to end, touching on a variety of topics, from the battle with cigarette addiction "Nicotine," to the plight of men of color in this country "Mother Africa,"
to the true shining star of the album, the beats provided by Dem Jauz Khats, this album provides a sonic smorgasboard of tasty treats, and will go down as one of the most critically overlooked and under-appreciated projects of recent memory. To all involved in this project, realize your efforts are
appreciated, there are those out there like me who appreciate it. |
| review: mcktwo |
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